Oneshot: The Death of the Hokage
by TomPen94
Summary: Naruto is met with a decision. He chooses the future. Now his family must deal with the fact he is no longer with them.


Hey guys...

Well... For some reason I had this stupid idea...

I don't even... Sigh...

Okay, just to be clear, this fic uses an idea I had from another fic in regards to Sarada. It's only used for a little bit, but you'll understand it better if you read _What's up with the glasses? _Also, lots of hypothetical headcanons, cuz Bolt and Sarada are supposed to be 15 years old here too.

I don't usually do this, but I recommend you to listen to this (watch?v=nreC- -1jH38) (take the spaces out) while you read the fic. It'll be more effective that way.

Anyway, enjoy...

-o-

The floor was soaked by the water raining down from the skies. The rain washed the stone pavement on the top of the Hokage Residence as the villagers paid their respects one by one. The procedure was simple, leaving a single flower on the memorial and exchange respects with the mourning family.

He had lost count of how many people he didn't even recognize passed by him. And he honestly didn't even care. He felt like shit. And what was worse is that he had to stand there getting constantly reminded that his father had died. Each and every time a person passed by with words of consolation, he wanted to punch the hell out of them. He hated this, and he felt like crying. But he kept fighting the tears.

His little sister stood beside him. Unlike him, she simply kept weeping. Slowly but constantly crying. It made him feel even worse.

His mother, however, was quite reserved. She stood there, silently. Of course, she sported a sad look on her face, but she wasn't crying.

The first person he recognized passed by. It was Shikamaru-san, his father's advisor.

"He was always the type to rush into the action… How troublesome…" Shikamaru said as he left the flower on the memorial. He then walked to the woman beside the memorial "It's a real shame. I wanted to continue helping him…"

The woman looked at him "I'm sure he's very grateful for what you've done until now. He often commented on how he got out of trouble thanks to your advice."

Sasuke looked as Shikamaru consoled Himawari and Bolt, before taking back his place in the crowd. He too, felt terrible. After all the crap he had to pull off, that idiot had managed to get himself killed in that battle while he had to keep living. He looked at his daughter, who kept looking at the memorial and Naruto's family. He then looked at Sakura, who was looking down at the ground.

"I guess this is what it feels like…" Sakura said, prompting Sarada to also look at her.

"What do you mean, Mama?"

"This is what it feels like to lose a brother…" Sakura said.

"We all feel it at some point in our lives." Sasuke said "Sooner or later, people who we care about will leave us. It's inevitable."

The hour passed and almost everyone had paid their respects. Sakura was one of the last people to come. She placed the flower on the memorial and turned to Hinata.

"I… I can't say much here that you don't already know." she said.

"You don't need to, Sakura-san." Hinata replied "I can understand your feelings."

Sakura nodded, before moving on to Himawari. She didn't even need to say anything, the girl gave her a light hug. Sakura patted her on the back, before turning to Bolt.

He looked at her. He couldn't think of anything to say. Sakura-san was the closest friend to their family, so there really wasn't anything to be said. Despite the lack of conversation, Sakura stood alongside them, waiting for Sarada and Sasuke to have their turn.

Sarada came in and basically repeated the process. She left a flower on the memorial, she gave a slight nod to Hinata and gave Himawari an affectionate hug. Then she turned to Bolt.

The two looked at each other for a few seconds. She could see the sadness in Bolt's eyes, and noticed how hard he was trying not to cry. Likewise, he understood that she wanted to give him some support. Still, he didn't move a muscle. Sarada took off her glasses, revealing her real eye color to Bolt. She wanted to show him sincerity. She didn't want him to feel miserable.

Sarada hugged him. He could feel it as she rested her arms around him. That was the final drop. He slowly returned the embrace, as the tears finally found their way down his face. He buried his face on her shoulder.

Sasuke was the last person to leave the flower on the memorial. He placed it there and looked at his photo "You're a real dumbass…"

-o-

The funeral was over and they were walking back home. He honestly hated this day. He just plain hated it. If he could be in any other place right now, he would. He looked down at the ground. His eyes were actually sore from crying. He had no idea how long he hugged Sarada. Or even why he started crying when he did it. He was surprised that he could cry so much. But what surprised him the most was how someone like his mother managed not to shed a single tear during the whole thing.

"How can you do it?" Bolt asked to her.

"Hmm?" Hinata turned to him.

"How can you not cry?" Bolt asked. The question caught Hinata by surprise, as well as Himawari.

Bolt and Himawari were both looking at Hinata. The question was important to them.

"It's not that it isn't okay to cry." Hinata said "It's just that whenever I remember Naruto-kun and the times I spent with him, crying isn't something that crosses my mind…"

Bolt looked back down at the ground. He didn't fully understand his mother's words. When he remembered his father, he felt like crying. Because he was dead. And that made him sad.

"When I remember Naruto-kun, I remember what he was like. I remember how fun the times I spent with him were. Those are happy memories." Hinata said "I know that he's no longer with us now. And that makes me sad, and it hurts. But the moments I had with him are precious to me. I won't discard them. I will always remember them. And remembering them doesn't make me sad."

Bolt continued looking down at the ground. He was starting to get it. Not only that, he was finally beginning to understand the words his father always told him. That Shinobi were the ones who endure. They had to endure pain, because that's how things were. And his mother endured it by remembering the good moments of the past.

-o-

She looked out the window. The night sky was clear. The clouds that had appeared during the day cleared out as the sun was setting. The light of the Moon was strong enough to partially illuminate their room.

No… It wasn't their room anymore… It was just her room now… She looked down at the bed. Empty. This night, she would sleep alone… The company she had had for over fifteen years… wasn't there anymore…

She slid under the sheets in the hopes of being able to cut off her depressing thoughts with her sleep. It took a bit longer then normal for the sheets to get warm today… It was inescapable. Everything felt different. It was amazing just how much could change because of one person…

Eventually, however, the sleepiness caught up with her and she finally fell asleep.

-o-

She opened her eyes to find herself in… Nowhere… This place… There were no walls, there was no ceiling, there wasn't even a floor. Though, for some reason she was standing on something… This was probably a dream…

"Yes! It worked!" she heard behind her. She turned around.

There he was. In all his glory. The Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. Just as she had last seen him. The short blond hair, the ocean blue eyes, the whisker marks on his face, his orange coat and black pants, and his white cloak. This was the moment she knew this was a dream. After all, the person in front of her was dead.

"Eh? Hinata…? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"My head must be playing with me…" she said, more to herself than to Naruto "To make you appear in my dreams…"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Naruto shouted "This is a dream. But I'm real 'ttebayo!"

"What? I don't follow you…" Hinata replied "If this is a dream, then how can you be real?"

"I had the Six Paths Geezer bring me here." He answered.

She raised an eyebrow at his response. She wasn't understanding anything. What did the Sage of Six Paths have to do with this?

Naruto noticed that she didn't understand his reponse "Look, Hinata. Remember when I told you how I had become so strong in the 4th Shinobi World War?"

"Yes…" she looked back at his explanation.

"_Kurama was extracted from me and the next thing I knew I was talking to the Sage of the Six Paths…"_

"I don't really know it myself." Naruto said "But this is something that he can do. So when I… died… I talked to him and had him bring me here."

"Talked to him?"

"Yeah. He was against it at first, but I managed to convince him." Naruto said "So… Do you believe me now?"

"Why are you here?" Hinata asked.

"I needed to talk to you, Hinata…" Naruto said "I wanted to say… that I'm sorry…"

"Sorry? For what?" Hinata replied.

"I…!" Naruto clenched his fists "I wanted to do so much more…!"

"!" Hinata looked at him in shock.

"I wanted to be more of a father to Bolt and Himawari. I wanted to keep teaching Bolt my jutsus! I wanted to keep telling Himawari my stories! I wanted to see them grow up until they were adults! I… I know I wasn't good at it… But I wanted to keep being a father to them… And not just them, everyone on the village! I wanted to keep watching the village! I wanted to see all those kids become powerful Shinobi and have kids of their own! I wanted to become the wise old man who could always comfort those kids…"

"Naruto-kun…"

"And you… I couldn't fulfil my promise to you… I wanted to die at your side… And I couldn't even do that… I wanted to keep protecting you… I wanted to keep holding your hand… I wanted to keep walking with you… And so much mo- Eh?" Naruto stopped his rant when he felt a hand on his cheek. He looked at Hinata.

"Please don't say that…" she said as she caressed his cheek "You have nothing to apologize for."

"Hinata…"

"I'm not going to lie… It hurts… It hurts knowing that you can't be there anymore… But I can't blame you for doing what's right. Naruto-kun, you left the future up to Bolt. That's not wrong. You protected him and everyone else when you made that decision. You knew what you had to do and you did it. You didn't give up. That's what matters."

"But I…"

"So don't feel bad, Naruto-kun. Everything must come to an end. It's a shame that it had to be this way, but this is not your fault. What you've given us is more than enough. What you've given me… is more than what I could ever have asked for. From the start, you were the one who saved me. You showed me the right way. You taught me never to give up…"

"_I never go back on my word! That is my Ninja Way!"_

"You cheered me on when I doubted myself the most…"

_-o-_

"_Hinataaa! Do your best!" Naruto shouted at the top of his lungs._

_-o-_

"And you even let me encourage you…"

_-o-_

"_Earlier I was feeling depressed. But now I feel great!" he said "You know… I thought you were a dark, weird and shy girl… But people like you… I really like!"_

_-o-_

"Before I knew it, I was in love with you. Because you were the one who made me a better person. And you kept doing it. You kept cheering me up when I felt down."

_-o-_

"_Don't worry about it, Hinata. It'd be pretty lame of me if I needed your protection a second time now." Naruto said, noticing Hinata's shift in mood._

"_I… I wasn't worrying about that…"_

"_I can see it in your eyes. Don't get so down on yourself! You're strong!"_

_-o-_

"And somehow… Eventually…"

_-o-_

"_If only I were there... When Hanabi was-"  
><em>

_"I'll definitely save Hanabi." Naruto interrupted "Don't worry."_

_"Thank you..." Hinata said "Naruto-kun, you're really kind."_

_"No... really. I'm not saying this because I love you." Naruto said, shocking Hinata "I'm really worried about Hanabi, that's all."_

_"What was that just now?" Hinata asked, still in shock "What did you just say?"_

_"That I'm... worried about Hanabi..." Naruto answered._

_"... Before that..."_

_"Before..." Naruto said, thinking back to his previous words. And it ticked. He realized he had blurted out his feelings for Hinata just like that. It was no use now. If he could say it so nonchallantly then... He looked at Hinata "Hinata... I love you."_

_-o-_

"When you told me you loved me… I was in shock. But I felt happy. Really happy." Hinata looked at Naruto, shedding a tear of happiness "And after that whole ordeal with Hanabi... That's exactly what you made me feel."

_-o-_

"_Hinata…" __Naruto called._

"_Yes?"_

"_I… uh…" Naruto stuttered._

"_Is there something wrong, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked._

"_MARRY ME!"_

_-o-_

"And then we had Bolt…"

_-o-_

"_Almost there!" Sakura said "Come on! Push!"_

"_Hinata!" Naruto said, locking his hand with Hinata's. It was shaking like hell._

"_UGGHHHHAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"_

_-o-_

"Our first child…"

_-o-_

"_Congratulations!" Sakura handed the baby to Hinata's arms._

"_Ohh…" Hinata cried as she held the little boy on her arms "Bolt…" She turned to Naruto "Look, Naruto-kun… It's our baby!" she said as tears of happiness fell down her face._

_-o-_

"And later Himawari…"

_-o-_

"_She looks just like you…" Naruto said as he held the baby girl in his arms._

"_Let me see her!" Bolt shouted._

_-o-_

"We built a family… And those times… were the best times in my life…"

_-o-_

"_Go on!" Naruto said, as Bolt slowly walked to Hinata with a look of guilt on his face._

"_Mom… I…" he looked up at her in shame "I painted all over the Hokages' faces…"_

_Hinata gave him the one look he didn't want to see. No look made him feel more guilty than that one "I'm sorry!"_

"_Hahahaha…!" Himawari laughed as she watched the scene._

_-o-_

"This is what you gave me, Naruto-kun." Hinata said "There is nothing else I could've asked for."

Naruto looked at Hinata's face as she kept her hand on his cheek. A single tear made its way down his face "Hinata…"

_-o-_

"_When I look at you, I get an intense feeling in my heart… Because you fail, you have the strength to get back up… I believe that's what true strength is… I… I think you are an incredibly strong person, Naruto-kun…"_

_Naruto stood there in shock, before finally speaking up "Thanks, Hinata."_

_-o-_

"_Do you understand the meaning of what Neji-niisan said earlier? That your life isn't only our own… Naruto-kun. Your words and beliefs, that you won't let your friends die… They're not a lie! It's because of those words he was able to come this far… Neji-niisan did. It's not only you… Everyone kept those words and feelings in their hearts, and that's how everybody's lives are connected. That's why they're comrades. If everyone gave up on those words and thoughts, then what Neji-niisan did wold become pointless. That would be the real way to kill your friends! They woldn't be comrades anymore. That's what I think. So, Naruto-kun. Stand together with me. Not going back on my word is my Ninja Way too."_

_Slowly, Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and stood up "Hinata… Thank you! It's thanks to you that stayed at my side."_

_-o-_

_He pulled away from her and looked at her. She looked beautiful under the moonlight that made its way into their room._

"_What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"_

"_My arm…" Naruto showed Hinata his right arm, and the point where it stopped being his arm "This isn't my arm… And…"_

_Hinata locked her hand with Naruto's right hand "Yes it is."_

"_But…"_

"_This is the arm you use, right? Then it is yours." Hinata said "And if it's your arm, I don't care."_

"_Hinata…" he said "Thank you…"_

_-o-_

"Thank you… Hinata…!" Naruto said, jumping in to hug her as tears fell down his face "Thank you so much…!"

"It was nothing…" Hinata hugged Naruto back.

"No… It was so much!" Naruto replied "You said I gave you more than what you could've asked for… It's the same for me… Hinata…"

He started glowing. They both knew his time was up.

Naruto hugged Hinata even more tightly "Thank you for accepting me as I was… Thank you for loving me… Thank you for giving me a family…!"

Hinata shed one last tear as Naruto faded away "Naruto-kun… Thank you too…"

-o-

And that was it. Thanks for reading.

You know, I don't even know why I wrote this thing. I sincerely regret , I wanna know what you thought about it. Leave a review.


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